Ferric orthophosphate
What the research shows
Not enough
published research on this page yet
A compound made from iron and phosphate.1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
What research says
How it’s made and used
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Iron absorption from food2
Ferric orthophosphate in a malted cocoa drink was absorbed as well as iron sulphate when taken on an empty stomach.
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Iron absorption from bread3
In animal studies, ferric orthophosphate in bread gave the body less iron than ferrous sulphate did.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Products
The 6 most-scanned of 3,269 products on Open Food Facts that list ferric orthophosphate.
- belVita Crunchy Cinnamon Brown Sugar belVita · 1.76oz 4 additives
- belVita Crunchy Blueberry Breakfast Biscuits belVita · 1.76oz 4 additives
- Vanilla Protein Shake Premier Protein · 11 ounces 7 additives
- CHOCOLATE Premier Protein Shake premier protein · 11 fl oz (325 ml) 7 additives
- Cream of Wheat Original Cream of Wheat · 28 oz 1 additive
- Vanilla Premier Protein Shake premier protein · 11fl oz 7 additives
References
- 1Iron(III) phosphate. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Fairweather-Tait SJ, Minski MJ, Richardson DP. Iron absorption from a malted cocoa drink fortified with ferric orthophosphate using the stable isotope 58Fe as an extrinsic label. Br J Nutr. 1983;50(1):51-60. doi:10.1079/bjn19830071
- 3Kosonen T, Mutanen M. Relative bioavailability of iron in carbonyl iron and complex ferric orthophosphate to rat. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1992;62(1):60-5.